Trim panel assembly and method of manufacture

ABSTRACT

A trim panel assembly and a method of manufacture. The trim panel assembly includes a trim panel and a backplate. The trim panel includes a speaker grill that allows sound to transmit from a speaker into the interior of a vehicle. The backplate is attached to the trim panel and includes a speaker mounting portion located adjacent to the speaker grill and a seal located adjacent to the speaker mounting portion that is configured to inhibit sound leakage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/818,960,filed Apr. 6, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a trim panel assembly for a vehicle anda method of manufacture for a trim panel assembly.

2. Background Art

Vehicle trim panels on doors and/or instrument panels may include aspeaker grill that permits sound to transmit from an audio speaker tothe interior of a vehicle. The speaker may be mounted apart from thespeaker grill such that a void is created as described in U.S. Pat. No.6,582,000. These voids can result in degraded audio quality.

Vehicle trim panels may also include storage compartments for holdingvarious objects. These objects tend to slide in the storage compartmentin response to vehicle movement. This sliding can result in undesirablenoises, such as bangs, squeaks, and rattles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a trim panel assemblyfor a vehicle is provided. The trim panel assembly includes a trim panelhaving a speaker grill, a speaker disposed proximate the speaker grill,a backplate, and a seal. The backplate includes an aperture configuredto channel sound from the speaker to the speaker grill and a flangesurrounding the aperture. The backplate is attached to the trim panelalong a portion of the flange. The seal is disposed on the backplate toinhibit sound leakage and is integrally formed with the backplate.

The speaker may be attached to a second panel that is attached to thetrim panel or the backplate. The backplate may be attached to the trimpanel along a portion of the flange located between the seal and anouter edge of the backplate.

The seal may be disposed on the flange and compress against the trimpanel or may compress against the speaker. A portion of the seal mayextend through a hole in the backplate and protrude from the hole toprovide sealing surfaces on opposite sides of the backplate.

The trim panel assembly may include a storage container. The storagecontainer may have a front wall and a back wall. The front wall may bedefined by a protruding portion of the trim panel. The back wall may bedefined by a recessed portion of the backplate.

According to another aspect of the invention, a trim panel assembly fora vehicle is provided that includes a trim panel, a speaker, and abackplate. The trim panel includes a first surface, a second surface, aspeaker grill, and a protruding portion. The first surface is configuredto face toward the interior of the vehicle. The second surface isdisposed opposite the first surface. The protruding portion extendstoward the interior of the vehicle and includes an access slot. Thespeaker is disposed proximate to the speaker grill. The backplate isattached to the second surface and includes a speaker mounting portion,a seal, a recessed portion, and a liner. The speaker mounting portion islocated adjacent to the speaker grill and is disposed between thespeaker and the trim panel. The seal is disposed on the backplateadjacent to the speaker mounting portion and is configured to inhibitsound leakage. The recessed portion is located adjacent to theprotruding portion. The recessed portion cooperates with the protrudingportion to define a storage compartment. The liner is integrally moldedin the bottom of the storage compartment. The seal and the liner aresimultaneously formed from a common material.

The backplate may be attached to the second surface along a flangeportion. The backplate may include an aperture configured to channelsound from the speaker to the trim panel such that the speaker isdisposed in the aperture and the seal is disposed between the backplateand the inner panel. The speaker may be attached to a second panel.

The seal may be located between the flange portion and the secondsurface or may be located between the speaker and the backplate. Theseal may extend through an opening in the backplate to provide a firstsealing surface disposed adjacent to the trim panel and a second sealingsurface disposed adjacent to the second panel. The seal may be disposedin a groove in the backplate.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturinga trim panel assembly is provided. The method includes providing amulti-shot injection molding mold. A first material is injection moldedto form a backplate in a first shot in the mold. A second material isinjection molded to form a seal on a backplate flange in the second shotof the mold.

The step of injection molding the second material to form the seal mayinclude injection molding a liner in the storage compartment. The stepof injection molding the second material may include injection moldingthe second material into a groove disposed on the flange such that theseal fills the groove and extends above the flange. A portion of theinjection molding mold may be actuated after the first shot to create arelief cavity for the seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle closure having a trim panelassembly.

FIG. 2 is a section view showing one embodiment of a speaker mountingportion of the trim panel assembly.

FIG. 3 is a section view showing a second embodiment of the speakermounting portion of the trim panel assembly.

FIG. 4 is a section view showing a third embodiment of the speakermounting portion of the trim panel assembly.

FIG. 5 is a section view showing a storage compartment of the trim panelassembly.

FIG. 6 is a section view showing another embodiment of the storagecompartment of the trim panel assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a closure 10 for a vehicle is shown. A vehicleclosure is an assembly that is movably attached to a vehicle body and isconfigured to cover one or more body openings when disposed in a closedposition. Vehicle closures include doors, hatchbacks, and othercomponents. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the closure 10 isconfigured as a vehicle door.

The closure 10 includes an outer panel 12 and an inner panel 14. Theouter panel 12 may form an exterior vehicle surface. The outer panel 12may have any have any suitable configuration and may be made of anysuitable material, such as fiberglass, a polymeric material, or a metallike steel or aluminum.

The inner panel 14 is configured to face the interior of the vehicle andmay be attached to the outer panel 12. More specifically, the innerpanel 14 includes a first surface 16 configured to face toward theinterior of the vehicle and a second surface 18 disposed opposite thefirst surface 16. The inner panel 14 may include various features andtrim surfaces, such as an arm rest 20, a door handle 22, lock and/orwindow controls 24, and a speaker grill 26. The inner panel 14 may alsoinclude a protruding portion 28 and one or more openings that helpdefine a storage compartment 30. In the embodiment shown, the innerpanel 14 includes first and second openings 32, 34 that are configuredto provide access to first and second pockets 36, 38, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the speaker grill 26 is configured to allowsound to transmit from a speaker 40 to the interior of the vehicle. Thespeaker grill 26 may have any suitable configuration. For example, thespeaker grill 26 may have a mesh construction or may include a pluralityof small openings. Alternatively, the speaker grill 26 may be a porousmaterial, such as fabric or foam, that permits sound transmission ofsuitable acoustic quality.

The speaker 40 may be of any suitable type or configuration. The speaker40 may include a mounting plate 42 and be connected to a vehicle audiosystem (not shown).

A backplate 50 is disposed between the outer and inner panels 12, 14.The backplate 50 may be made of any suitable material, such as polymericmaterial like polypropylene. The backplate 50 may include a speakermounting portion 52 and a recessed portion 54 that cooperates with theprotruding portion 28 to define the storage compartment 30.

The speaker mounting portion 52 includes an aperture 56 and at least oneflange 58. The aperture 56 is configured to permit sound to travel fromthe speaker 40 to the speaker grill 26. The flange 58 is disposed aroundthe aperture 56. The flange 58 includes an inner surface 60, an outersurface 62, an aperture edge 64, and a perimeter edge 66. Optionally,the flange 58 may also include one or more grooves 68 adapted to receivea seal 70. In addition, the flange 58 may optionally include one or moreprotuberances disposed on the inner surface 60 that facilitateattachment to the inner panel 14 by vibration or sonic welding.

The seal 70 is adapted to inhibit sound leakage. The seal 70 may haveany suitable configuration and be made of any material compatible withthe physical and chemical properties of the backplate 50. For example,the seal 70 may be made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), TPO(thermoplastic olefin), TEE (thermoplastic elastomer-ether-ester), orEPDM (ethylene propylene diene terpolymer). The seal 70 may have anysuitable shape or dimension. For example, the seal may have a width ofbetween 0.5 to 10 mm and a height of between 0.5 to 10 mm.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, various embodiments of the speaker mountingportion 52 of the backplate 50 are shown. For clarity, common referencenumbers are used in reference to each embodiment when possible. In allembodiments, the backplate 50 is disposed between the outer panel 12 andinner panel 14.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the speaker mounting portion 52. Inthis embodiment, the flange 58 is attached to the second surface 18 ofthe inner panel 14. Attachment may be accomplished in any suitablemanner, such as by heat staking, sonic welding, vibration welding, orwith an adhesive, fasteners, or retaining tabs.

The speaker 40 is disposed co-axially with the aperture 56 and may beattached to the backplate 50 in any suitable manner, such as with one ormore fasteners 72. Optionally, the backplate 50 may include a gap 74disposed around the aperture 56 to provide clearance for the fasteners72. The seal 70 is disposed between the flange 58 and the inner panel 14to inhibit sound leakage.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the speaker mounting portion 52. Inthis embodiment, the flange 58 is attached to the second surface 18 aspreviously described. The speaker 40 is disposed co-axially with theaperture 56 and is attached to the outer panel 12 in any suitablemanner, such as with one or more fasteners 72. The seal 70 is disposedbetween the speaker 40 and the backplate 50. Optionally, the seal 70 maybe disposed in a groove.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the speaker mounting portion 52. Inthis embodiment, the flange 58 is attached to the second surface 18 aspreviously described. Optionally, the backplate 50 may be attached tothe outer panel 12. The speaker 40 is disposed in the aperture 56 and isattached to the outer panel 12 with one or more fasteners 72. The seal70 is disposed in a slot 76 in the backplate 52. The seal 70 extendsthrough the slot 76 to provide a first sealing surface 78 disposedadjacent to the outer panel 12 and a second sealing surface 80 disposedadjacent to the inner panel 14. The slot 76 may extend around a portionof the aperture 56.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, various cross-sections of the storagecompartment 30 are shown. In these embodiments, the storage compartment30 has two pockets defined by the protruding 28 and recessed portions54. However, the trim panel assembly may have any number of pockets,protruding portions, and recessed portions.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of the first pocket 36 of the storagecompartment 30. The protruding portion 28 of the inner panel 14 isdisposed adjacent to the recessed portion 54 of the backplate 50. Theprotruding and recessed portions 28, 54 cooperate to define the firstpocket 36. In this embodiment, a portion of the inner panel 14 disposedbelow the first opening 32 extends further toward the interior of thevehicle than the portion of the inner panel 14 disposed above the firstopening 32. The backplate 50 may be attached to the inner panel 14 alongthe upper and lower flanges 90, 92. A first liner 94 is disposed on thebottom of first pocket 36 along the recessed portion 54.

FIG. 6, shows a cross-section of the storage compartment 30 through thesecond pocket 38. Similar to FIG. 5, the protruding portion 28 isdisposed adjacent to the recessed portion 54 and is attached to theinner panel 14 along upper and lower flanges 90, 92. A second liner 96is disposed on the bottom of second pocket 38 along both the protruding28 and recessed portions 54.

The liners 94, 96 are configured to inhibit the movement of objects inthe storage compartment 30 and to inhibit the undesirable noisesassociated with such object movement. The liners 94, 96 may have anysuitable shape or dimension. For example, the liners may have a heightof between 0.5 to 5 mm.

The seal 70 and liners 94, 96 may be formed of the same material toallow these parts to be made simultaneously, thereby reducing cycle timeand increasing process throughput. In one embodiment, the seal and linermaterial has a higher coefficient of friction that the inner panel orbackplate material. Although the seal 70 and liners 94, 96 may besimultaneously formed, they do not need to be physically interconnected.

A method of forming the backplate 50 using a multi-shot or two-shotinjection molding process will now be described. Such a process isgenerally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,004, assigned to LearCorporation, an incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Thisprocess allows the manufacture and assembly of a speaker seal and/or astorage compartment liner to be integrated with the manufacture and/orassembly of a trim component to improve quality, reduce manufacturingcomplexity, and reduce costs.

In a two-shot injection molding process, a first type of material isinjected into an injection molding mold to form the backplate. Then, asecond type of material is injected into the injection molding mold toform the seal and/or liners. The mold may include one or more cams orslides that are actuated to create relief cavities into which the secondmaterial flows. Alternatively, different mold cavities may be employedfor the first and second shots. For instance, a portion of the moldhaving the material from the first shot may be indexed to a secondposition and mated to another mold portion having appropriate reliefcavities before injecting the second type of material.

The process may include the following steps. First, a two-shot injectionmold is provided. Second, a first type of material is injected into themold via runners to form the backplate. Third, a cam is actuated or themold is indexed to create one or more relief cavities in the mold forthe seal and/or liners. Fourth, a second type of material is injectedinto the mold to simultaneously form the seal and the liners. Theassembly is removed from the mold and may be attached to the inner panelor another suitable interior trim component.

Alternatively, the process may include the following steps. First, atwo-shot injection mold is provided. Second, the backplate and the innerpanel are formed. For example, the backplate and inner panel may beinjection molded in different cavities of a common mold. Third, thebackplate and inner panel are positioned adjacent to each other to forma storage compartment. For example, the inner panel or the backplate maybe ejected from the mold and positioned adjacent to the other component.Fourth, the mold is reconfigured or indexed to accommodate the storagecompartment and to create one or more relief cavities for seal and/orliners as previously described. Fifth, a second type of material isinjected into the mold to simultaneously form the seal and/or theliners. After both shots have been completed, the assembly is removedfrom the mold and may be attached to the inner panel or another suitableinterior trim compartment.

The multi-shot or two-shot molding process permits seals and/or linersto be integrally formed with the backplate. Integral formationeliminates the expenses associated with purchasing, maintaining, andoperating separate production lines for seals, liners, and backplates.In addition, improper assembly of seals and/or liners is avoided sinceassembly steps are eliminated. Furthermore, the quality of the moldedseal and liners is improved because possible gaps due to toleranceaccumulation can be anticipated and accommodated through properselection of the seal and/or liner profiles and configurations. Inaddition, the amount of material injected can be easily controlled tomake up for tolerance difficulties and to reduce waste.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A method of manufacturing a trim panel assembly having an inner paneland a backplate, the backplate including a speaker aperture, a flangedisposed around the aperture, and a recessed portion, the methodcomprising: providing a multi-shot injection molding mold; injectionmolding a first material to form the backplate in a first shot in themold; injection molding a second material to form a seal on the flangethat extends around the aperture and a liner on a surface of therecessed portion in a second shot of the mold; and assembling thebackplate to the inner panel.
 2. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of actuating a portion of the injection molding moldafter the first shot to create a relief cavity for receiving the liner.3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of actuating aportion of the injection molding mold after the first shot to create arelief cavity for receiving the seal.
 4. The method of claim 1 whereinthe step of injection molding the second material further comprisesinjection molding the second material into a groove disposed on theflange to form the seal, the seal filling the groove and extending abovethe flange.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of injectionmolding the second material further comprises injection molding thesecond material onto the flange to form the seal.
 6. The method of claim1 wherein the step of assembling the backplate to the inner panelfurther comprises positioning a speaker coaxially with the aperture andattaching the speaker to the backplate adjacent to the seal.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the liner is disposed adjacent to an innersurface of the inner panel when the backplate is assembled to the innerpanel.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the inner panel furthercomprises a protruding portion disposed that cooperates with therecessed portion to define the storage compartment.
 9. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the step of assembling the backplate to the inner panelfurther comprises removing the inner panel and the backplate from themold before attaching the inner panel to an inner surface of a innerpanel.
 10. A method of making a trim panel assembly, the methodcomprising: forming a backplate having a speaker aperture and an innerpanel having a speaker grill, the backplate and inner panel being madeof a first material; positioning the backplate and the inner paneladjacent to each other in a mold such that the backplate and the innerpanel cooperate to define a storage compartment; and injecting a secondmaterial into the mold to simultaneously form a seal disposed on thebackplate and a liner disposed in the storage compartment;
 11. Themethod of claim 10 wherein the liner extends along the backplate and theinner panel.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the liner extends alongthe backplate and adjacent to the inner panel.
 13. The method of claim10 wherein the inner panel further comprises a protruding portion andthe backplate further comprises a recessed portion, wherein theprotruding portion and the recessed portion cooperate to define thestorage compartment.
 14. The method of claim 10 wherein the storagecompartment further comprises a seam located where the backplatecontacts the inner panel and wherein the liner extends along thebackplate and the inner panel to conceal at least a portion of the seam.15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of reconfiguringthe mold to create a first and second relief cavities for accommodatingthe seal and the liner, respectively.
 16. The method of claim 10 whereinthe backplate and the inner panel are injection molded in differentcavities of a common mold.
 17. The method of claim 10 further comprisingthe step of positioning a speaker coaxially with the speaker apertureand attaching the speaker to the backplate.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein the seal is disposed between the speaker and the backplate. 19.The method of claim 17 wherein the backplate further comprises a grooveand the seal is disposed at least partially in the groove.